Category: Hands & Nails Products

MAC Chestnut Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer

MAC Chestnut Lipstick ($14.50 for 0.10 oz.) was inspired by the top-selling lip liner, along with a Lipglass ($14.50 for 0.17 fl. oz.) and Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.) to complement. This shade is part of the North American portion of the collection, so it will be available at all locations and online. All three shades are limited edition. Chestnut is described as “rich chocolate brown.”

When the two lip products are layered, the result is a rich, glossy chocolate brown with strong red undertones. The color coverage is mostly opaque, but there’s a hint of translucency. The nail lacquer is deeper, browner, and because it’s so opaque, the red undertones are less noticeable, but the shades are fairly close together–you’ll just see the effect that texture and opacity have on the end result more here.

Chestnut Lipglass is a red-toned brown with semi-opaque color coverage. It does settle into lip lines a bit, and because it is such a dark color, the unevenness is more noticeable. Admittedly, I haven’t come across too many rich brown glosses, so the closest I could think of was MAC A Different Groove, which is much sheerer and less red-toned. (8, 9, 8, 8.5, 3.5, 4; B-)

Chestnut Nail Lacquer is a luxurious, deep chocolate brown with a cream finish. It’s opaque in two coats. The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin, and it applied evenly and fluidly without trouble. Rescue Beauty Lounge Au Chocolat is darker and more burgundy. Barielle Unraveled Rust is very close, perhaps a touch darker. MAC Dim the Lights is also very close. (10, 10, 10, 9, 5, 4; A)

MAC Lipsticks are vanilla-scented but taste-free. Satin finishes like Chestnut typically wear four to six hours on me, with deeper shades like this one wearing closer to six hours. This particular finish is not particularly moisturizing, but I don’t find it drying either. MAC Lipglasses are also vanilla-scented but taste-free. They are very sticky and have a thick, borderline-goopy consistency. If you prefer gel-like, cushion-y glosses that feel lightweight on, I don’t recommend MAC Lipglass. Because of the tackier texture, MAC Lipglasses do tend to wear a full four hours on me, with some of the darker shades lasting up to six hours (with mostly the color lingering at that point).

MAC Angel Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer

MAC Angel Lipstick ($14.50 for 0.10 oz.) has inspired a new and limited edition variation in Lipglass ($14.50 for 0.17 fl. oz.) and Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.). This shade is available online only for North America, but it will launch in Asia Pacific as part of the region’s collection. Angel is described as “light warm pink.”

The two lip products layered creates a glossy, nearly opaque neutral pink with faint silver micro-shimmer. I found the gloss was slightly cooler-toned and has noticeably more shimmer compared to the lipstick counterpart. The nail lacquer doesn’t resemble neither the gloss nor the lipstick when swatched or applied–it’s much darker and yellower. It does, however, look more similar to the color of Angel lipstick in tube-form (but not swatched).

Angel Lipglass is a light-medium neutral pink with subtle silver micro-shimmer. It has a frost finish. It applies mostly opaque, and because of its lightness, it does have a slightly milky appearance. Thankfully, the opacity helps minimize how much it settles into lip lines. MAC Enchantee is cooler-toned, bluer-based. MAC Infinitely Likeable is just slightly gray-tinted in comparison. MAC Splashing is darker and warmer with golden shimmer. (8.5, 10, 8.5, 8.5, 4, 4; B+)

Angel Lipstick is a subtly yellow-toned light-medium pink with soft silver micro-shimmer that translates more into a frosted finish than it does a shimmery one. It yields mostly opaque color coverage. Lancome Love It! is similar but yellower. YSL Opera Rose is darker and yellower. Estee Lauder Mauve Mirage is bluer-based. Clarins Lilac Pink is very similar but a smidgen cooler-toned. Bobbi Brown Lilac is a little plummier. (9, 10, 8.5, 8, 4, 4; B+)

Angel Nail Lacquer is a medium yellow-toned pink with a cream finish. It’s nearly opaque after two coats of polish, and it applied evenly and smoothly. I didn’t have any trouble with this one. The consistency was on the thinner side overall, but it wasn’t too thin or watery. Chanel May is lighter and much bluer-based. NARS Trouville is way lighter, but it reads like they’re in the same family. Chanel Morning Rose is the closest, though it’s a little warmer and has gold sparkle. (9, 9.5, 9, 9, 4, 4; B+)

MAC Lipsticks are vanilla-scented but taste-free. Frost finishes like Angel typically wear three to four hours on me, with lighter shades like this one wearing closer to three. This particular finish is not particularly moisturizing, but I don’t find it drying either. MAC Lipglasses are also vanilla-scented but taste-free. They are very sticky and have a thick, borderline-goopy consistency. If you prefer gel-like, cushion-y glosses that feel lightweight on, I don’t recommend MAC Lipglass. Because of the tackier texture, MAC Lipglasses do tend to wear a full four hours on me, with some of the darker shades lasting up to six hours (with mostly the color lingering at that point).

Note: I am reviewing each “set” together. After I’ve reviewed all sixteen sets, I will do round-ups for each product type (so all lipsticks together) to deliver an overall Glossover rating. This rating is more indicative of the product type, as the rating that follows this post is an average across three totally different types of products. You can also see the individual scores listed after each product, which are listed in the same order as they are in the Glossover.

NARS Amchoor Nail Lacquer

NARS Amchoor Nail Lacquer ($18.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “bright yellow.” It is definitely that! It’s a bright, sunshine yellow, so it has slight golden orange undertones. It’s lighter and more opaque compared to MAC Al Fredo. It’s similar in color but more opaque compared to Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road. Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever is the closest I could find, though it has faint gold shimmer and is a smidgen lighter. This kind of color just screams summer to me. I think it could be really cute on toes whenever sandal weather happens in your part of the world!

It’s opaque after two coats, and for a yellow, it’s actually really good–but being that it is a yellow, there is some streaking, especially in the first coat. The second coat covers the majority of it, but a third coat would probably be best here. Luckily, the consistency isn’t too thick or too thin, so a third coat wouldn’t compromise the wear as a result of thicker layers. Aside from streaking, it didn’t pool or bubble during application, and the second coat went on fairly fluidly compared to the initial coat. I typically get a week of wear with minor tip wear but no chipping with NARS’ lacquer formula.

It’s opaque in two coats, and it does dry down to a semi-glossy finish. For a really high-shine result, I’d still recommend using a top coat. The formula was a little thinner than other shades I’ve tried from Illamasqua, though I would not describe it as thin. It was neither thick nor thin, so I didn’t have any trouble applying the color to the nails. I didn’t experience any bubbling, pooling, or streaking, and Stance applied evenly and fluidly across each nail. If you’re more used to Illamasqua being closer to a one-coater, you may find this one seems less pigmented, but it’s definitely opaque after two coats.

Illamasqua’s formula always yields impeccable wear for me; it’s one of the longest-wearing polishes. I can wear a shade for ten days without a single chip and very minor tip wear. I so often reach for an Illamasqua hue before traveling, because I know it will hold up to all the demands of a trip!

NARS Kutki Nail Lacquer

Thakoon for NARS will debut on May 1st at NARS’ website, and the collection features six shades. NARS Kutki Nail Lacquer ($18.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “powder blue.” It’s a pale, pastel sky blue–a little more muted than the perfect sky blue, I’d say–it does have a powdery/dusty quality to it. Nubar Blue Hydrangea is a richer blue, less white in its base. Chanel Riva is very similar in color, but it is more translucent and has shimmer.

Kutki is mostly opaque after two coats, but it is streaky, and even after two coats, it’s still noticeable in places, so I would recommend a third coat or ensuring your second coat was on the thicker side. For me, it was one of the worst performers in the six-shade collection. The consistency was just a smidgen on the thicker side, but I wouldn’t describe as thick. It flowed easily across the nail and didn’t pool–just streaked. The drying time was about average. NARS nail polishes typically last a week on my nails with minor tip wear but no chipping.

Guerlain by Emilio Pucci is supposed to launch two shades of nail lacquers (officially, “Terracotta Vernis”). I didn’t see them online yet, except at The Bay (Canadian retailer), even though much of the collection has launched at Sephora. I haven’t seen Guerlain do polish before, though a quick Google search will show that they definitely have. It comes in a cylindrical glass bottle with a “wood” cap (matches the rest of the aesthetic for the launch). It’s actually pretty simple in design.

It was opaque in two coats, but the formula itself was a wee bit thick, though manageable on the nail. It does show brush strokes, as metallic finishes often do, which may or may not appeal to you. The drying time was also a little on the longer side, probably because of the thicker consistency. Since I’ve never used Guerlain’s polish before, I wore this on one hand for a week to test out the wear, and I didn’t have any trouble with chipping–just minor tip wear. I will say that no formulas, generally speaking, chip on me. For the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with wearing a few formulas without a base or top coat, and I don’t experience chipping then (always testing for seven days). I’m by no means gentle on my nails; I’ll dig at things and use them as tools whenever the need arises!